Simple Joys

Welcome to Simple Joys on Chief 187 Chatter. I have discovered that finding my Simple Joys is becoming easier as long as I let go of stress, consternation, and fear. When I allow myself to view the world head on with a smile and a pleasant thought Simple Joys seem to fall out of the woodworks. Whether they are quiet moments between me and one of my children or times when I am in social situations, it is frankly up to me to allow Simple Joys to find me and, in some cases now, to provide the Simple Joys. Now, without further ado, is today’s Simple Joys.

Rosemilee’s Birthday. My daughter’s second birthday happened last Friday. Two year olds are great because although they know there is something about the day, the child is too young to dictate how the day should play out. Aside from opening a few gifts, talking to her grandparents on Skype, and being sung Happy Birthday over her lunch at McDonald’s I treated she and her brother to, it was just a normal day. That night, however, once her oldest brother and father were home, we took her to her favorite restaurant, an Asian buffet heavy on the sushi, with close friends of ours. They, in turn, spoiled her with a few gifts. The favorite of the evening? A pink wig falling with tons of sausage curls! My daughter, in all of her cuteness, at two

hardly has any hair to speak. It is growing to be sure, but currently she is slight on top of her head. The wig was a huge hit at the table. The rest of the weekend we were able to string out her birthday celebrations with cupcakes, more gifts, more Skype calls to grandparents, more gifts, and extra cuddles. Having my daughter in my life, the pink that accompanies, and the curls that are growing is truly life’s richest and most rewarding Simple Joy.

The Wedding. On Saturday my husband and I attended the wedding of an adorable couple who we’ve known for several years. The affair was intimate and we were delighted to be included. Two other couples we know well and socialize were there making for a fantastic time. Weddings are typically held in the evening, but this one started at 11:30a and lasted until 5p! We watched the couple take their vows and kiss, we ate tasty horsd'ourves, we drank plentifully from the open bar, we toasted the happy couple, ate some more, and we danced…

Dancing. Dancing with my husband is a rare and cherished activity. He’s been known to wrap his arms around me and dance with me in the kitchen, the living room, and even on line at the post office, wherever the mood strikes, but those are usually abridged dances that never get fully realized. At weddings, and the one we attended on Saturday specifically, we danced and danced and danced some more. More comfortable when slow tempo music plays, my husband takes my hand, leads me to the dance floor, and takes me in his firm grasp to glide me effortlessly around the room. We talk softly to one another, make eye contact, press our bodies to one another, and gaze into one another’s eyes. We are no longer “Mommy and Daddy”, the people at our respective work, or concerned with bills. For a few fleeting moments we are two people enraptured with one another; infatuated with each other and wholly connected. Dancing is magical and sensual. The intimacies are intense and the conversation breathy. Having an occasion, formal or not, to dance with my husband is a timeless Simple Joy.

Giggles. I do love laughter in all of its forms. Recently Laughter was even a topic in a Simple Joys post. But the giggles of which I write are from my daughter. The child has learned and perfected her use of the word “No”. She knows how to use it coyly, demandingly, and petulantly. She is fluent in the word and prefers to utter that word over any other. But, occasionally she needs to acknowledge a question with a “yes” or “affirmative” that we clearly understand to get the desired outcome. Although “Yes” is a relatively simple word my daughter prefers not to use it. Instead, when asked a question that she wants to answer with “yes” she giggles. Giggling, it would seem, is her unmistakable way of saying “Yes!” Her emphatic way of letting me know of her desires is a Simple Joy that will be fleeting all too quickly; in the meantime, I’m lapping it up!

Dan Wheldon’s Passing. Death is not a Simple Joy. When driver Dan Wheldon

died as a result of a horrific accident on Sunday I was reeling. I was not very well versed on this man who was now front page news, but I was familiar with the emotions that his death unleashed. In 2001 I watched my driver, NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt, perish from an on-track accident. I recalled waiting for the official word that he had indeed died and wailed when I learned the truth. This time I had an outlet for my grief and a perspective born of familiarity and distance. This time I wrote. I wrote and it helped… immensely. When I posted my work in many different places including here I did my usual promoting. People read. And more people read. Then people began sharing my work so other people could read it. Comments came to me both on the article and on Facebook and Twitter. My friends, followers, and people I had never chatted with were thanking me for the article. It moved me. It showed me that my talent, my coping mechanism, served to help in this time of sorrow. Were it not for Dan Wheldon’s untimely and unfortunate passing, I may not have ever realized that. I mourn with Dan Wheldon’s family and I wish him God Speed. But, selfishly, I look on this time as a period of Simple Joys because I was shown a glimpse of my impact as a writer and it encourages me to keep doing what I do. Thank you.

Many Simple Joys in my life stem from my family; I am very blessed to have my husband and three children in my life and I know it. Other Simple Joys come from milestone events like birthday celebrations, weddings, and even death. But the majority of Simple Joys come from daily activities, random acts of kindness, and even a smile that elicits one in return. Whatever you are going through, wherever you are, and whoever you are with, look to yourself to be a source of Simple Joys and they will certainly appear to you.